001So, I don't know what they want from me. >> Depending though, just so we have backup. You're not >> everything else. Every camera. >> No, I do not. Mr. is right there. You want me to grab him? Would you like to get him? >> Test. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad that we could have you here tonight to enjoy the Renaissance High School graduation. At this time, I would like to ask you to please stand for the procession of the class of 2026. Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Thank you for joining us tonight. Please turn your attention to the American flag to recite our pledge of allegiance. I pledge
002allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please remain standing for our national anthem. [music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] [bell] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> Thank you. Please be seated. Good evening to each of you. I'm Gary Bigger, principal of Renaissance High School. It is with pride in each student's accomplishment that I welcome you to the Renaissance High School's class of 2026 graduation ceremony. You've arrived at this point in your life, ready to put one large accomplishment behind you and step forward with confidence into the next phase of your life. I want to commend you on your perseverance as you have worked with grit and
003determination to finish your high school career. With this perseverance, I believe that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Many people helped you along the way. I would like to ask that if you are a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend to the graduate, please stand up. Graduates, let's give them a hand. [applause] Thank you. There might be another group that assisted along the way. Please allow me to introduce the staff of Renaissance High School. When I call your name, please stand up. Matt Blow, Rebecca Carr, Brooke Har, Patricia Hillicker, Scott Humphrey, Doug Kennedy, Troy Luke, Riley Patterson, Lindseay Smith, Edna Sove, Alita Valdez Garcia, and Toast. Thank you teachers. [applause] We have two pair of professionals that assist us along the way. Tony Floros and Alexis Stillin. Thank you for your work.
004[applause] Our student support coach is Amy Horvath. Our administrative assistant is Terry Poret. Our clerk is Crystal Coulson. Thank you for all of your work. Our [applause] social workers, Andrew Breen, who works with a lot of our students. Thank you, Andrew. Our custodians are Jeff Kelly and Rick Brown, who always take good care of the building and us. [applause] Our lunch server is Claudia Shurmer Horn. Thank you for always take having breakfast and lunch ready for us. I wasn't going to do this, but I am. Um, I also want to thank our unofficial building sub, Mr. Mike. [applause] It is my pleasure to invite Stephanie Crane, president of the board of education, to introduce the board of education and share some wise words with us. >> [applause] >> Good evening. Uh, let me first take
005a moment to introduce my board of education. I am Stephanie Crane, president. I have Steve Hire, vice president. [applause] Elizabeth Egan, treasurer [applause] Cheryl McGinness, Secretary [applause] Trustee Greg Neustee [applause] Amanda Love, and Trustee Mike Clark. [applause] Good evening staff, friends, family, and especially you in front of me here, the graduates. Welcome to this extraordinary night. I have to be honest with you. I rehearsed this speech a lot of times. I have I'm a very type A person. I I had notes. I had an outline. I rehearsed a lot. And then I started thinking about the theme of tonight and I thought I told myself I should loosen up a little bit. But I am who I am. So I brought my notes anyways. I do want to talk to you all in a way
006that probably isn't going to be like the platitudes you'll be getting in the weeks to come. You're going to be getting a lot of well wishes, a lot of congratulations. And while I offer you those as well, I wanted to say a few maybe different things. Renaissance High School exists because the traditional path doesn't fit every student. And that's not a flaw. It's just a fact. The school was built on the belief that every student, every single one of you deserves a place where you can learn, grow, and be seen. Not just the students who neatly fit into rows, thrive with bells, rigid schedules, and they never hit a bump in the road. This school was built for the rest of you. And by the rest of you, I mean the most interesting people in
007any room. Think about it. Every single person who has ever changed the world, every inventor, artist, entrepreneur, and every leader had at least one moment where the conventional script didn't work for them. Where they had to find their own road. You are like them. You just didn't wait until adulthood to figure it out. The theme today is the unscripted road. Perseverance in the face of the unknown. I just want to sit with that for a minute because I think it's so powerful. Perseverance. We love that word. We put it on banners, coffee mugs. But here's what we don't say. Perseverance isn't heroic in the moment. It's exhausting. It's getting up when you don't feel like it. It's asking for help when you'd rather disappear. It's choosing to stay when leaving seems so much easier. You
008did that. You persevered. Whatever your story is, and every single person in this room has one, you chose to stay. You chose to finish. And today, we celebrate that choice. The second part of that theme is the really scary one. It's the unknown. I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that your future is certain, that everything is going to work out perfectly, that the path ahead will be smooth. You know better, and frankly, so do I. The future is uncertain. I have learned, however, that the people who navigate uncertainty best are not the ones who had the clearest map. They're the ones who got good at reading the terrain, who learned to ask for directions without shame, who could sit with discomfort long enough for a new idea to emerge. You have
009been training for this your whole life, and especially here at RHS. You've learned to adapt, to problem solve, to persist without a guarantee. And those are not soft skills. They are life skills. They're survival skills. They are leadership skills. I also want to say something to the families and friends in this room. Thank you for showing up. On the hard days, the uncertain days, the days when you weren't sure how this would end, you showed up. Your belief in your graduate was part of what carried them across this finish line. Class of 2026, I want to close with this. You didn't follow the script. Maybe the script was wrong for you from the beginning. Maybe life rewrote it without asking for your permission. Either way, you are here. Diplomas in hand, future ahead, and a
010resilience that most people spend their whole lives wishing that they had. The unscripted road is not easy, but it is yours, and that makes it extraordinary. Go ahead, go forth, and go write something worth reading. Congratulations, Renaissance High School class of 2026. [cheering] [applause] I love our next speaker because uh he might be one of my favorite people in the district. um who's kind of sat in my office several times. We've had many conversations about a lot of different things, but I love the fact that he thinks outside the box and he believes in others that think outside the box and he believes what people can accomplish when you look beyond what the normal is. So, at this time, with great affection, I would like to ask our superintendent, Dr. Shawn Ryan, to come share
011some words with you. [applause] See the first words of wisdom. Mr. Lceo, can you text Wes Goodman and tell him to turn down the temperature in here? >> Tell him to crank it all the way up. Tell him I'm Pat. We're good. Second is it stinks getting old because once upon a time I could just read, do my speeches and now it's like put on my readers. Anyhow, good evening faculty, honored guests, proud parents, families, and most importantly, you all, the extraordinary class of 2026. And I can't even believe it's 2026. Seems like yesterday, but tonight is the night. One of those moments that's destined to become a core memory. You may not remember every word said here. You'll probably forget most of mine amongst others. But tonight, I bet you'll remember how you felt
012in the moment this evening. The energy, the excitement, the nerves, the moment it all finally feels real. And for many of you, that phrase core memory hopefully will always take you back to when you were six or seven years old. And I have kiddos that are about a year younger and a year older than you. And there was this movie that I remember watching about two 300 times on a very worn out DVD if you guys remember called Inside Out. Maybe hopefully. Anyhow, it's seared into my my memory. But looking at it, I remember those glowing glow those little glowing memory marbles rolling through Riley's mind. Each one holding a different emotion, a different color. Moments that helped shaped who she was becoming. And what I really love about the idea is this. The most
013important memories in life are rarely just one thing. They aren't purely joy or purely sadness. Most of our memories that define us or a mix of everything. That's what tonight is. Joy for what you've accomplished. Excitement for what comes next. A little fear of the unknown. And a little sadness because you know things are changing. And that's a fact. All those colors swirling together at once. And this is the big this is one of the things you learn as you become an old guy like me. Besides being blind, that in life, big moments are never just about the moments itself. You think it's about grabbing the diploma, crossing the stage, reaching the goal, partying with your friends later. But when you really finally get there, something else happens. Your mind starts flooding with everything that
014got you to that moment. The people who helped you, the times things didn't go the way you planned. The times that you had to start over, adjust the plan, or discover that the dream you once had wasn't actually the one that was meant for you. That's hard. The memories you didn't realize were going to matter so much someday. The little moments that somehow became the big ones. And trust me, this doesn't stop after high school. It happens throughout life. When you reach a big moment, a new job, an accomplishment, climb a mountain, all those things. A dream that you once been chasing when you realize the achievement itself is only part of the story. Because life has a funny way of taking us down roads we've never expected to travel. Note the theme roads. Mr.
015Beer, thank you. And maybe that's why no matter the generation or the music style, people keep writing songs about the journey. Country music gave us God Bless the Broken Road. Classic m rock told us to ramble on. Pop music reminded us that it's the climb. Hip hop talked about the pursuit of happiness. And somehow Life is a Highway became the soundtrack of many of my road trips with my qu kids and some very questionable car karaoke. Different artists, different decades, same message. Life isn't really about a perfect destination. It's about the road you take to get there. And honestly, that road is usually a little messy. As a saying goes, life is like a road. It has bumps, cracks, and obstacles, but in the end, it gets you somewhere, which is feels especially true here
016in Michigan. And our roads have so many potholes, they basically prepare you for adulthood. Dad joke. But there's a real wisdom in that idea. Some of the most beautiful parts of life come after the hard parts. Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. And that's to you grads. And sometimes the best things that happen to us come from the past we never would have chosen for ourselves. The detours, the setbacks that forced us to grow. Sometimes you arrive exactly where you always planned to be. Most of the time, life takes you somewhere completely different. But either way, what stays with you most is the journey that got you there. And the people who are beside you along the way. The people who made sure you saw the daylight. Because it's amazing what the hard times
017can reveal. Like who shows up, who walks away, and who's for real for those fans from Shine Down. Great song. Just look at this place. Every person here tonight represents a connection to your story in some way and have been with you since childhood. Some pushed you, some supported you, and some, like the song, simply showed up when you needed them. And that matters. Because the truth is, the connections you make in life aren't just part of the journey, they are the journey. Life has a funny way of taking us down roads we never expected to travel. And hopefully somewhere along the way, a few of you get to take the journey in your dream car. And where's Zayn? Wave for me. So, think about looking at your dream car and talking to one of
018your classmates about the 1972, not purple, but plum crazy, right guys? Plum crazy Dodge Roadunner. Graduates, as you leave here tonight, take risks. Go create an amazing story. Years from now, your mind will be filled with all the real imperfect multicolored moments of your life, just like those memory marbles from Inside Out. The people who made you laugh until you cried. The conversations that changed you. The moments you felt seen, loved, and connected. Those are the memories that stay with us. Never forget the most important part of the journey will always be the people you share it with. At the end of the day, a life well-lived is not measured by titles, followers, or bank account balances. It's measured by connection, by impact, by relationships, and by love. Class of 2026, you are ready for
019what comes next. You've been through it all. You survived. You made it here this evening. And we couldn't be more proud of you. Congratulations. [applause] While our staff speaker is not a classroom teacher this year, he definitely is an integral part of helping Renaissance students to achieve their goals. He has an amazing ability to find the sweet spot between expectation and grace for students. His physical size is only outmatched by his caring to students. Please welcome Renaissance School social worker Andrew Breen as our staff speaker. [applause] >> [clears throat] >> Good evening graduates and everyone else here to celebrate uh this class. I am honored to speak in front of all of you this evening. And for those of you who have experienced my long-winded ramblings, I have one more for you. I have had
020the had the opportunity to get to know many of you during your time here. Some of you for several years while others come came to RHS more recently. Some of you I've had smaller moments with along the way. And some of you I've gotten to know really really well. But in one way or another, I have been able to watch you all grow, mature, and find success. And that has been the best part of my job. I have enjoyed watching you achieve things that might h might have once felt completely out of reach, whether it was inside of school or outside of school. I have seen you land jobs. Um, which is one of my favorite things, especially when I know you tell me you have an interview or we've done a mock interview before.
021Those are one of my favorite moments. Those are like Dr. Ryan said, those are my core memories with you guys. I've also seen you finish projects that felt overwhelming. I've seen you build friendships when weeks earlier you felt lonely. I have watched you take responsibility, develop confidence, and start to see yourself differently. Tonight's theme, the unscripted road, perseverance in the face of unknown, is such a fitting theme because most of life does not come with a perfect script. Our brains naturally like routines and predictability. We like knowing what's coming next. We like clear directions. We like it when the next chapter makes sense before we have to step into it. But most of the time, life is just not boring in that way. You don't get the full script ahead of time. You get a
022few clues, some support, maybe some luck, a few unexpected turns, and then you choose your next steps. That can feel scary but it is also something ex there is something exciting about it because an unscripted road means your story is not already decided. You are not locked into one path. You get to grow. You get to change. You get to make choices. And you get to surprise yourself. When I think about this graduating class, one of the things I respect most is not that you made it here, it's how you made it here. You kept showing up. You adjusted when things changed. You learned from your mistakes. You figured out what worked for you. And you kept moving forward. As a social worker, I spend a lot of time talking with students about coping skills,
023feelings, problem solving, managing stress, uh, communication, finding strategies that actually work for you in real life. But what I probably don't say enough is how much I learned from all of you. I am inspired by your resilience. Resilience is not always loud. It does not always look like a big inspirational movie moment. Sometimes resilience is simply showing up when you do not feel like it. It's recognizing that maybe you handled something the wrong way and choosing to make it right. Sometimes it's asking for help even when it feels uncomfortable. Or it's trying after you were sure that you were done trying. And I will say this again because I really mean it. I genuinely look up to all of you for that. I want to ask you to do something tonight. At some point, I
024want you to find a moment of gratitude for yourself. Maybe it's during this speech. Maybe it's the next time Mr. B Mr. Bigger is speaking or whenever you feel the moment. Take a second to tune us out. Look around. Notice who is here. Notice what this moment feels like. Think about what it took to get here. Think about the work you put in, the growth you made, and the people who helped you get there along the way. These moments are too important to let pass by without really taking them in. Grounding yourself in them and giving yourself appreciation you deserve is very important, and I want you to do that. And to the supporters here tonight, I hope you take that moment, too. No one gets through life without a little help. Every graduate here
025tonight has had people who encouraged them, challenged them, supported them, and believed in them. Graduates, as you leave this phase of your life and move into whatever comes next, I hope you remember that you do not need to know every detail right now. I think this is a message that's kind of been, you know, repeated in over and over again by some people here that have a lot of experience. You know, I feel like I've had a lot of experience in life, too. And I really do believe that you don't have to have everything figured out. I run into moments daily where I have no clue what I'm doing. Uh what matters most is that you keep taking the next step that feels right for you. Some of you heard have heard me say this
026or some form of this before. I cannot guarantee much in life, but I can give you a 100% guarantee you will experience moments of adversity. But I can also tell you I'm not worried about those moments for you. I've seen your resilience and what you are capable capable of in your future. You will experience success. You will experience joy. You will find new people who will care about you. You will have opportunities you did not expect. You will have moments where you realize you are more capable than you thought. I have seen you all mature in ways you probably do not even fully recognize. I have seen you become more thoughtful, more independent, more reflective, and more willing to believe in yourselves. So tonight, I hope you're proud of yourselves. Not just because you earned
027a diploma, although you absolutely should be proud of that. I hope you are proud of the effort behind it. The choices behind it, and the times you kept going. The road ahead is certainly unscripted. There will be unknowns. There will be twists and turns. But the best part of this transition for you is there will also be possibility and opportunity and moments that makes the uncertainty worth it. So, don't worry if the next page is not perfectly clear. Just keep moving forward and remember, take in the moments along the way. Congratulations to the graduating class of 2026. I'm proud of you. I believe in you and I cannot wait to see what you do next. Thank you. [applause] Earlier tonight, we had a wonderful time where we end our awards ceremony and dinner um just
028realizing and recognizing the support that Renaissance um high school has from the community. Uh and it's just wonderful that there are so many groups. Um, scholarships were given out by the United Methodist Church, the Optimus, Rotary, the Masons, uh, M3 Investments, and Waypoint and, uh, Waypoint Church. And it's just wonderful to see that there are so many people out there that really want to support, you know, students and want to see them succeed and are willing to not only stand behind you, which they do, and say, "Let's go," but, are also willing to kind of say, "Hey, we want to help you financially along the way." So, I want to just say thank you to all of those groups who gave scholarships out. Well, now it's my turn. No, this will not be one of
029those in my office conversations. Graduates, families, and awesome Renaissance staff, this is not your average graduation. Let's be honest, we aren't traditional. We don't do things the traditional way. Many of you arrived at our doors because the traditional way failed you. Maybe you were told you didn't fit the mold. Maybe you were told you were at risk or that circumstances made it impossible for you to keep up. In a traditional school, they talk about things like the straight and narrow. But in this building, we know that life is a winding, jagged, often uphill climb. We don't talk about potential as some far-off achievement. We talk about survival and resilience as requirements. You didn't just study for exams here. You studied how to stay standing when the world tried to knock you down. As your principal,
030I try to lead with strength and care. But I want to be real with you today. There's a weight that we carry. During my time this year, I faced a difficult thing that nearly broke my spirit. My father passed away. He is a person that showed me you have to keep going and you have to keep working. When he died, I found a tattered business card from my first principal job in his wallet and my cell phone number was still on the back. It was from 22 years ago and he still had it. The world felt gray and I sat in my office and I looked at the number of students who were struggling. And for a moment I felt like I had nothing left to give. I felt like the alternative path I had
031chosen working with students who had to fight for every credit was too heavy. But I look at you today and that same weight I knew somehow some of and I look at you today and I see that same weight. I know some of you have been working many hours a week while finishing your high school work. I know some of you have lost friends, lost parents or lost your homes while trying to earn this diploma. I tell you about my father because I want you to know I see you. I don't just see your credits. I see the grit it took to earn them. While your heart was breaking, your stomach was empty. At Renaissance, we don't have the luxury of pretending that life is easy. We know that difficult things happen. And we know
032that perseverance isn't a motivational poster. It's a choice you make at 2 a.m. when you're tired and the world feels stacked against you. Perseverance isn't about being tough in the way movies show it. It's not about crying, never crying, or never failing. True perseverance is about willing to be the alternative. It's being willing to take the long way around. It's it's failing a unit or class three times and showing up for the fourth attempt because you refuse to let a piece of paper define your worth. My dad used to show me his perseverance by the way he kept grinding knowing things that would work out. I look at your grind, class of 2026. In traditional schools, the grind is sometimes easier as the barriers are less. However, you ground it out even though even though
033there was a storm and because of that, you are the strongest people I know. When you leave here today, people might look at you differently because you went to an alternative school. Let them. That name is a badge. It's honor. It's your armor. It's your story. It tells the world that you didn't have it handed to you. It tells the world that when life gave you a difficult thing, you didn't quit. You adapted. Don't leave your struggles at the door. Carry them. I carry my father's belief in second chances into every meeting I have. My grief made me a better principal. Your struggles will make you better mechanics, better nurses, better parents, and better leaders. You have a PhD in life before you even turn 20. You know how to pivot. You know how to
034advocate for yourself. You know how to persevere when the straight line disappears. So, here's my final charge to the class of 2026. When the next difficult thing happens, and it will, don't let it surprise you. Look it in the eye and say, "I've been here before. I know how to do this." Don't let anyone ever tell you you are less than because your path was different. Your path was harder which means your victory is greater. To my father still doing the work. To the students, you are the reason I do the work. By the power of your own hard work, your own sweat, and your own refusal to give up, I officially declare you graduates. Go show them what a second chance looks like. Congratulations to the class of 2026. [applause] This time I'd like
035to invite our valet Victorian and student speaker uh up to the uh podium, Kenneth Selnich. I want to start by saying congatulations. ratulations to my fellow graduates. I'm sure it's been a long and rough journey for all of us and I'm proud of all of us for making it here. All of us are now starting a new chapter in life. Before moving on to this next chapter, I want us all to be happy for ourselves and to take time to relax. It's safe to say we all deserve the rest. As we move on to the futures ahead of us, no matter where it may lead, I want to take a moment to reflect on these last four years. Whether you've been here since 9th grade or only attended Renaissance this year, this school and its
036unique way of teaching have been an essential stepping stone for all of us to make it to this very moment. Whether it be because you needed a slower pace, a less crowded environment, the extra help, or any other reason, being at Renaissance has been helpful to us all, and I would like to thank the staff for that. from me and the 2026 senior class. Thank you teachers and staff for being part of this journey with us. The last four years have been full of change for us all, for all of us as well. My bad. Leaps forward and stepbacks. High school is hard. In my opinion, it can kind of suck. Maybe there were times you were drowning in the stress of it, or a friend group went their separate ways, or you made mistakes
037and did things that can't be forgiven. I know I've been stuck in that last one many times. We've all experienced many highs and lows since our freshman year. And sometimes we found ourselves really stuck in those lows. But the important takeaway is that we didn't let those hard times keep us from pushing through in the end. And I want you all to remember that. I want you all to be proud of yourselves for making it through, even if you felt like you couldn't, especially with everything going on in the world around us at the moment. And despite the hardship, we've all had a lot of good. We've made new friends, reached accomplishments like having good grades or getting student of the month. We've been able to grow as people, and really branch ourselves out. Found
038out what kind of people we are, and I think that's all wonderful. Making it to graduation is a proud accomplishment. But for me, this moment holds a far greater importance. Back in January, I made a friend who, without getting into too many details, struggled a lot. We ended up forming a close friendship. I had quite the rough patch at the end of February that almost resulted in me not standing here before you now. And that whole time, she remained there for me, even while dealing with her own struggles. Come late March, I'd received news that she passed away. She was a year younger than me, and she will never be able to walk the stage like I am now. She is part of the reason I pushed myself to this finish line, so that someone
039could do it with her memory alive. All that to say, if you ever find it hard to be proud of yourself for graduating, remember that there's someone out there who would be proud of you. and if even if they're no longer here to see it. Tangent aside, I want to truly thank everyone here, family and staff, classmates and friends, and yes, even those we may not like or get along with. I want to thank every single one of you for being part of this four-yearong journey to now. Congratulations, class of 2026. We made it. [applause] graduates. This is the moment you've all been waiting for, the conferring of diplomas. reading the names uh is Renaissance's very own counselor, Mrs. Youngerman. Allison Zel Babcock. [cheering] [applause] Zayn Christopher Bach, Owen Michael Griggsby. [applause] Jerome Dmitri Hadley
040[cheering] [applause] Nory. Jane Hampton, [cheering] Kiana D. Hayes, [applause] Leavon >> Leavonne Jackson [applause] [cheering] Tori Devon Jackson Jr. >> [applause] >> Carter Andrew Cavalar. Brianna Nicole Clatt, Zoe Marianne Law. [cheering] [screaming] Terzi Ann Martin, [cheering] >> Isabella Nicole Menddees, >> [cheering] >> Josephine Ellen Metsler, [applause and cheering] >> Nicholas David Miller, >> [applause] >> Eric Mora, [screaming] [cheering] Elliot James Reich, >> [cheering] >> Kennedy Josephine Rebecca Reyes. [cheering] [applause] Naa Nadia Rodriguez, [cheering] Brooke, Elena, Selenus, >> [cheering] [applause] >> Kenneth Selenic, Drake Andrew Simmons, >> [cheering and screaming] >> Scarlet Cash Steen [cheering] [applause] Riker. William Trainer, [cheering] [applause] Hannah Anise Theer, Yousef With much love, I congratulate the class of 2026. As graduates, you may now stand up and move your tassel to the left side of your mortar board. >> [applause] [applause]
041>> Stay standing. I would like to thank each of you for joining us today and the celebration of Renaissance graduating class of 2026. Please wait until the graduates recess before exiting. Graduates, you may pick up your diploma from Mrs. for it at Renaissance starting tomorrow. Let me be the first to say congratulations graduated class of 2026. [applause] [cheering] >> [music] >> Where did all the time go? It's starting to fly. [cheering] [screaming] See how the hands [singing] go waving goodbye. You know I get so forgetful when I look in your eye. Now she's walking [music] back >> through the lane.